


Scarred Hearts

by parttimefemmefatale (writingramblr)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Doctor Who, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Call Girl AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Inspired By Tumblr, Slight OOC, Timey Wimey, just a pretty picture of billie that gave me feels, rose is belle, semi crossover, the acceptance of the doctor and all that jazz is probably unrealistic, war scarred doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-19 03:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1453597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingramblr/pseuds/parttimefemmefatale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Doctor had met Rose, and she had been a call girl?<br/>And how would things have gone?</p><p> </p><p>***<br/>Inspired by the linked post below where i wrote the summary in the tags, and also a quote from David Tennant, not sure on the source.<br/>- http://time-spacepiratepoetoutcast.tumblr.com/post/79136295508/ -</p><p>[I think he'd notice her hair first, then her eyes next, and then her lips, but then he'd remember that he didn't fall in love, he was a scarred warrior, but what he didn't know was that she had scars too. In short, they were perfect for each other.</p><p>http://time-spacepiratepoetoutcast.tumblr.com/post/80024845095/ ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been a slow night for Rose. She’s not got any assigned clients, so she’s simply strolling up and down the street.

Perhaps it’s a bit demeaning to have to resort to that. But she doesn’t care. It’s her last day before her respite, two whole days to herself, and she can feel the pavement under her feet, even through high leather pumps.

It’s been a long week.

When she heard an approaching car, she turned on the charm, and began to walk towards the sound. It was coming from the end of the sidewalk, and what she saw was not an ordinary automobile.

In fact, it wasn’t a car at all.

It was a tall blue box, and when Rose saw the words “Police, and Public Use,” she was ready to high tale it out of there.

But before she could take a step, she saw the door open inward, and a man peered outside. He had unusually large ears and short cropped dark hair. He looked around before seeing her, and his face lit up with a grin.

“Hello there. Could you tell me what day it is?”

Rose swallowed,

“It’s Saturday, about nine o’clock. Are you lost? Needing to make a phone call I see?”

She nodded to the sign above his head, and was surprised to see him laugh.

“Nope. I can’t really make calls with this phone. It’s a bit broken.”

Rose would have sighed in relief, but then the man stepped completely outside the box, and she got a better look at him from the dim streetlight.

Tall and slightly muscled, with a worn black leather jacket and dark washed jeans, for a confused stranger, he was quite a handsome man.

Rose coughed quietly and flicked her hair, starting to slip out from its perfect messy braid in haphazard waves falling over her shoulders, and smiled in an appealing manner,

“Could I interest you in a tour of this fine city? You seem to be a bit lost.”

The man gave her a quick once over, and Rose normally would have been used to any sort of leering, but with his cool blue eyes, he seemed to look right through her.

She shivered, despite the warm night breeze.

“Thank for the offer, but I’m not actually lost. Just a bit, misplaced.”

Rose cocked a perfectly shaped brow,

“Oh yeah? That sounds like lost to me. But of course, men would never admit to that.”

She knew it wasn’t the best thing to do, antagonizing a complete stranger who looked as if he could easily harm her with one hand if he felt so inclined, but for some reason, she had no fear as she teased him. He wouldn’t hurt her. She actually felt safer than she usually did when working a late shift.

The man smiled, and shook his head,

“I’m not just any man.”

Rose rolled her eyes,

“That’s what they all say. But tell me, what exactly are you doing inside a call box that doesn’t call anyone?”

Rose’s curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped towards the man, a slow smile forming on her lips, but unfortunately, her right heel snagged in between two cobblestones, and suddenly the road was rushing up to meet her.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor hadn’t planned on touching down on Earth, but for some reason, the TARDIS was quite insistent on landing on the familiar blue planet.

He’d not been back there since before the time war. It was much too painful to think about that. He was nearly a thousand years old now, surely anyone he had used to travel with was long gone. Although he tried to keep his thoughts from straying, several smiling faces had popped up among his memories, not excluding Sarah Jane Smith, whom he’d never really said goodbye to, and most recently Grace Holloway, the beautiful American doctor who had turned down his offer of travel. Perhaps it had been for the best, as he’d no sooner returned to the vortex when he’d received a distress signal from Gallifrey.

The Doctor sighed, and didn’t bother to check the display screen to see exactly when he had landed. All he knew was it was the center of London, and it was nighttime.

That much was obvious when he opened the front door, and he had barely taken in the scenery, the long empty area of yet another alleyway, when he caught a glimpse of blond hair.

He called out a greeting, and was delighted when the girl replied to him. He must not look nearly as depressing as he felt. Of course, the longer he spent talking to the blond haired girl, the better he felt. The second thing he noticed after her hair was how captivating her eyes were. Lined with dark brown, almost black, her eyes themselves were more than brown, almost warm hazel. She was beautiful, with her pink lips and yellow hair.

The Doctor frowned inwardly. He shouldn’t be this concerned with the first human he met. Then he looked away from her face, and noticed what she was wearing.

‘Ah.’ He thought to himself. No wonder she was so alluring.

He wasn’t one to judge, after all, how could he? He’d killed his entire race and wiped out another with a press of a button. But he had guessed that she was likely a night flower, woman of the night, or more modernly named a call girl.

It wasn’t just the way she was dressed, but the way she held herself. As if she was wearing heavy armor and he was just lucky to be able to speak to her, much less look at her.

It was quite different. He’d never encountered someone like her.

When she poked fun at him, he almost corrected her, and gave away his alien origins. But he stopped himself. She wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t even know her name.

She smiled at him, and started to approach him, but before she’d taken a step, the horribly dangerous shoes she was wearing tripped her.

The Doctor sprinted towards her, and caught her just in time. He cradled her head in his left hand, and gripped her hand tightly in his right.

“Are you okay?”

The blond had big brown eyes, made up to look even bigger, and they were open wide with shock.

“Yeah, thanks I think.”

She took a deep breath, and tried to sit up, with a bit of help from the Doctor.

“I think you might want to rethink your wardrobe.”

He joked, with a pointed glance to her feet, and she gave a weak laugh,

“Maybe. Don’t you like my jacket though? It’s a bit like yours, but less shiny. I think I’ll keep it.”

She grinned, and he looked at the rest of her as she got to her feet, slipping off the treacherous shoes in an instant.

“Yes, it’s quite fantastic.” It appeared to be a man’s black dress coat, and though it was unbuttoned, if it had been fastened, he imagined she might have vanished into the depths of the fabric. For without her high heels, the girl was suddenly a head shorter than him.

The Doctor suddenly found himself in a worried manner,

“Would you like me to look at that?”

The girl had winced as her bare feet touched the dirty ground, and he could see she was favoring her left leg.

She shrugged,

“I guess so. It feels a bit sore.”

The Doctor beamed at her,

“Good thing I was here. I’m the Doctor, and if you’ll step inside here, I’ll make sure you’re in perfect condition to return to work.”

The girl coughed,

“Work? So you figured it out huh?”

The Doctor shrugged,

“Not actually that hard. It’s okay. I promise as long as you’re with me, you’re safe.”

The girl glanced at him,

“Thanks, ‘cause I wasn’t worried, but now I know not to be.”

The teasing lilt of her voice told him she didn’t mean it, and The Doctor never let go of her hand as he guided her inside the TARDIS.

He was mentally preparing for the usual things humans said when the first saw the interior of his magnificent ship, but when he looked over at the girl, he saw nothing but awe sparkling in those eyes of hers.

She said nothing, but he knew what she was thinking.

“Is this alright?”

He found himself asking her, and she turned to him, nodding, still silent. Still grasping the impossible. What an intriguing human!

“How?”

She had finally spoken, when they were halfway to the med-bay, and the Doctor beamed like a child at Christmas,

“It’s a space ship, it can also travel in time.”

The girl held up her hand,

“Okay, slow down. Since when? Time travel is impossible.”

The Doctor shrugged,

“So is this. Bigger on the inside.”

For the first time in all his traveling, he’d been the one to say it.

The girl looked around, even as the Doctor stopped, setting her down on a pristine table so that he could observe her ankle better,

“It’s not human made is it?”

“Nope.” The Doctor was only slightly distracted, as he probed at her foot with his fingers, gently checking for any muscle tears and possible swelling.

The girl winced and inhaled sharply as he reached the connection of her Talus and Tibia bones, and he immediately ceased movement.

“I’m sorry. I think it’s just bruised slightly. I did stop your head from hitting the ground, but I’m afraid I was too late to save your foot.”

The girl shrugged,

“It’s okay. Lucky thing is I’ve got the next two days off. I should be fine.”

The Doctor shook his head,

“Nonsense. Two days isn’t enough. You’ll need to stay off your foot for at least a week.”

The girl sighed, and then her head fell into her hands,

“This is great. Just great. Steph is gonna kill me.”

The Doctor barely registered the name and the girl’s worried tone,

“You do realize where you are right? My ship can travel in time and space. If you wanted, you could stay here until your ankle heals, and then I can bring you right back to the morning of your choice. Whether tomorrow or the next day.”

The girl looked up at him with tear filled eyes,

“Really? That sounds utterly ridiculous, but if you could travel in time? Why, that would be amazing. But I’d want to be back tomorrow. I’d like both days off if you please.”

The Doctor smiled,

“Of course. Anything is possible with my TARDIS.”

The girl frowned, and the Doctor quickly explained,

“That’s what my ship is called. T-A-R-D-I-S. Stands for time and relative dimension in space. It’s why the inside is bigger. It’s basically in another dimension.”

He grinned again, and she laughed in delight,

“You are mad you know that?”

“Maybe, but you let me bring you here, so you’re almost as mad.”

“I guess so.”

“I think it’s time I know your name if you want to stay here for the next few days.”


	3. Chapter 3

Rose suddenly realized the depths of her madness. She was accepting all of this, time travel nonsense, and even without a shred of proof, besides the strange interior of the police box, she was inclined to believe this so called Doctor. But she now was torn between telling him the truth. What should she say?

Eventually she decided to be safe.

“Belle. My name’s Belle. Pleasure to meet you Doctor, if that’s your real name.”

The man who called himself that took her outstretched hand, and shook it gently.

She noticed he had been rather reluctant to let go of it in the first place, and if she didn’t know better, she’d say his thumb had brushed across the back of her hand.

“I’m glad to meet you Belle. Would you like a tour? Feel free to lean on me.”

Rose arched her brow at him,

“Didn’t you say I needed to stay off my foot?”

The Doctor looked put-out,

“I don’t happen to have a wheelchair with me, so this is how you’ll be getting around.”

Rose laughed,

“Okay okay. Doctor’s orders. I’ll respect that.”

***

The Doctor had shown Belle around the general area of the TARDIS, and though he’d just left her at a guest room, which had mysteriously looked perfectly designed for her, he could still feel a phantom weight on his left arm.

The entire thing was completely insane.

He was offering to host a human for an entire week. Not a week of travel time, but a human week. He could easily have given her some medicine for the bruise, but he was being selfish, and letting her heal the old fashioned way. Was that wrong?

Then again, he recalled the entirety of his medicinal stock was gone anyway. He’d used every last thing to try to heal from the time war, but had been forced to regenerate in the end.

Never mind that plan then.

What was it about her?

He knew she was lying about her name. He’d seen it in her eyes. The fire. Defiance. Daring him to argue, to press the issue.

But he wasn’t about to do that. He didn’t want to make an enemy of his first new friend.

Friend?

Possible companion?

If after she’d healed, she decided she liked him, liked the ship, would she stick around?

He didn’t know why he wanted her to so badly.

It was simply a side effect from the war.

He was lonely.

But maybe she was too.

He was too scarred, inside, to truly care for anyone.

It would be a waste of his time.

Then again, he had all of infinity at his reach.

***

Unsurprisingly, the week aboard the TARDIS for Rose passed quite quickly. Maybe it was because she always had something new to discover.

She’d also gotten quite comfortable wearing comfy clothes she’d found in the massive wardrobe room. She’d hung up her call girl attire and eagerly begun to lounge around in soft sweat pants and cozy sweaters.

The ambient temperature inside the TARDIS was a few degrees cooler than she was used to, but she didn’t mind.

She later found out that it was because the Doctor’s body temperature was colder than humans. It made a strange sort of sense.

The Doctor was quite enthusiastic to share information when she asked about something she’d found, whether it was a book from his library, or a strange type of tea when she’d only been looking for earl grey.

By the time Rose was up and about on her own, the Doctor had insisted on a scavenger hunt, to test how well she was learning about the TARDIS and all it contained.

Any other time, Rose might have scoffed at the idea of such a childish game. But the Doctor looked so excited, she couldn’t say no.

When they met up in the console room, both were out of breath, and Rose’s arms were laden with the strange objects she’d collected.

“What did you think?”

The Doctor asked her, grinning widely,

“I think you cheated…”

Rose looked at him, eyes narrowed, and waited for him to cave.

He inhaled sharply, and then sighed,

“Perhaps I might have tilted things in my favor. I didn’t want you to think I would let you win just because you’re a girl.”

Rose laughed,

“Gee thanks. But now that my foot’s all better, I’m afraid this will be goodbye. I really need to get back to work before I get out of practice.”

She winked at him and was stunned to see a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

He hadn’t revealed how old he really was, but judging by the age of the exterior of the ship, and what she’d learned by simply observing, he was much more than he appeared.

To see the usual reaction to her unconscious flirting on his face was unexpected. Since that first day, he’d not tried to hold her hand or anything beyond platonic gestures.

Now that she was admitting she’d need to depart, he looked hurt and when she’d hinted back at her career, he looked lost.

“You’re sure you still want to leave? You could come with me. See the stars. All of time and space.”

Rose sighed, and shook her head.

“No thanks. I don’t think I’m ready for that. I need to get things in order in my life, at least for a few months before I do anything crazy.”

The Doctor nodded,

“Nothing crazier than having an adventure.”

“Hey don’t look so sad. It’s not really ‘No.’ It’s more like, ‘not now.’ Besides, mister time travel, can’t you drop me off, and then skip ahead a few months?”

The Doctor said nothing.

He simply stared at the console, and Rose finally reached over to snap in front of his face, just to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep standing up with his eyes open.

“Doctor? Still with me?”

He blinked and nodded again,

“Yes. I was just thinking, you’re right.”

She stepped closer to him, and placed a hand on his arm,

“I’m glad I met you. This isn’t really goodbye. Okay?”

The Doctor looked down at her hand, and put his free one over it, before glancing up to pin with her with a stare from those piercing blue eyes,

“I know. Me too. Ready?”

Rose nodded, and wondered in that moment if she should have said yes, and if she should tell him her real name, for if he did indeed do as she suggested, he wouldn’t be able to find her under her false name.

The Doctor tried to hide his disappointment behind a carefree smile when Rose went off to her room and came back wearing what she’d arrived in.

It was a bittersweet farewell.

By the time the TARDIS had landed, and Rose had left out the front doors, it was much too late to change her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slight explanation for why Rose was so quick to believe...

The Doctor had let her go. He’d watched her go and pretended he hadn’t felt one of his hearts breaking, just a little.

He couldn’t fall in love with a silly human. Especially a call girl.

Not because of that. But because he was much too scarred.

He _didn’t_ fall in love.

He’d considered using the psychic paper on her, convincing her to stay. But his hand had frozen in his pocket, fingers clutched around the pad until he was afraid he might tear it.

When Belle had gone, and he was left alone, again, inside the console room, he finally pulled it out.

He flipped open the cover and read the small scrap of paper.

“Belle didn’t really want to go. She was just scared of how much she cared for you, just as you cared for her.”

He threw it across the room, and tried to ignore the tell-tale pulse from the engines. The TARDIS agreed with the stupid paper, and was trying to convince him to go after her.

“I’m glad you liked her so much, but she was right. It’s much too sudden. I don’t even know if she owns anything other than high heels. Not very practical considering all the running I usually do.”

The TARDIS lights blinked, and the Doctor took that as a reluctant agreement.

Before he had time to do much sulking, or even consider skipping ahead and going after Belle, he’d steer the TARDIS into the vortex, and a pinging noise was emitting from the display screen.

It seemed that 300,000 years in the Earth’s future, an enormous satellite was in need of help.

The Doctor set a course for the proper time and date, and all thoughts of Belle were pushed aside for the moment.

***

When Rose woke up the next morning, she groaned aloud, and raised a hand to rub her forehead. She was dismayed to find she’d not removed her makeup before going to bed.

She frowned, there was nothing to be heard, yet she could have sworn she usually could hear the sound of the engines humming from her room.

She sat up, and opened her eyes all the way, before realizing she was back in her tiny flat bedroom.

“What the hell?”

Rose glanced over at her bedside table, and saw that the clock predictably read 10:00am. She always slept in on her day off, but where was the TARDIS?

The what?

She shook her head and frowned. Perhaps it had all been an incredible dream. She’d tripped on her way over to talk to that man the night before, and hit her head.

She felt around the back of her head, but couldn’t find any bumps. She reached over to fumble inside her purse for her cellphone.

The calendar read Sunday, just the day after meeting the man.

Rose practically laughed in relief.

She’d merely dreamed about that week long stay. It felt so real, but she must have merely had a few too many drinks with her client. That’s who the man was.

He’d been so kind to drive her home at such a late hour.

Rose sighed and leaned back against her pillows, wiggling her feet around, absentmindedly noting that for once her ankles weren’t sore.

***

Resuming her usually schedule was pretty easy, after the strange weekend she’d had. Though she’d been off Monday, so she technically started back at work on Tuesday, she still thought of her days off as a weekend.

Just a ‘Belle de Jour’ weekend.

Rose did take the advice of her dream self, and began to pull out her funds from the bank, and she informed Steph she would be needing the money from her last job as soon as possible.

When Steph told her she was crazy, and she hadn’t had a job Saturday night, Rose had barely kept from hitting her.

Rose checked her purse and pulled out her wallet, but found nothing. No source of payment, no record of drinking at any bar, as she usually placed working expenses on her credit card and always got a receipt.

She stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk, and knew she looked strange, like a deer in the headlights.

What the hell had happened Saturday night?

***

Rose spent the next few months steadily building up her savings, whether cashing out completed jobs with clients, or simply pulling money out of her accounts.

She put her small flat on the market, and she knew it was almost time.

She’d finally had the epiphany of sorts and realized that week with the handsome stranger had been real. He was a time traveler after all. She had only believed any of it was real when she discovered her favorite earrings were missing.

Something she hadn’t noticed the morning of, but when she’d cleaned her flat last she’d been unable to deny it.

She had a wild imagination, but not that wild. Sometime during her stay, she’d obviously slept and the earrings had fallen off in her sleep.

They had been the only real diamonds she’d ever owned, something she’d gotten herself after the first big paycheck she’d made.

There was no way she’d ever have lost them in her flat. It was much too small.

This revelation had filled her with renewed hope. She wasn’t just following some crazy whim. She was preparing to travel among the stars.

The Doctor had been smart, clever, and brilliant even. He would be back for her at any moment.

She’d even packed her only suitcase, with all her essentials, things she knew she couldn’t live without. Any furniture she’d collected in the last dozen months would be left behind.

When Steph asked what her plans were, she merely shrugged.

“I’m gonna see the world, find myself. Do the free spirit thing.”

Steph didn’t really care, but she was concerned about losing her most profitable asset. Rose knew it wouldn’t be long before she was replaced, or someone new with equal or better skills came along, so she didn’t feel too bad the week she handed in her written notice.

A week later she had a buyer on the flat, and she had to tell them she would think about it. She was doing the last thing she’d ever dreamt of. Waiting for a man.

Not a man.

An alien.

Where was he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah...plot twist of plot-y-ness


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor landed the TARDIS roughly. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say the landing was tough, and he had no control.

He was thrown to the floor of the console room, and winced only slightly as the grating bit into his cheek. He knew he deserved it.

She was angry with him.

He’d sent her away, and killed an entire race again.

But she had come back for him.

He’d regenerated, and awoken to find the TARDIS standing triumphantly where she’d last stood before he’d made her leave.

The game station, or satellite 5, as he’d known it was empty.

Silent as the grave.

To be precise, the grave of nearly one hundred people, several dozen Daleks, and technically, his ninth incarnation.

Not to mention the rest of the Dalek fleet and all those below on Earth.

But never mind that.

The Doctor has been brought back to earth, months late.

He checked the date and was dismayed.

What will Belle think?

Will she even remember him?

Will she care?

The more important question was about finding her at all. He knew deep down that she’d given him a false name, which only made sense.

How on earth was he to find her?

“Help me. Please.”

He stroked the nearest coral strut, before standing up and leaning against it for support.

The TARDIS flashed her interior lights impatiently.

“ _You silly thing. I already have.”_

She seemed to say.

The Doctor nearly tripped over his new longer legs on his way out the door.

He didn’t change his clothing. He wanted to hold on to some part of his past self. Maybe Belle will trust him if she can see something familiar.

***

In a city of 8 million people, with no real name to go on, the Doctor is lost. He exits from the TARDIS into that same alleyway, but it’s not night. It was day time and things looked infinitely different. He only paced the sidewalk a few times before realizing it was pointless.

He needed to get out among the crowds, and try to look for Belle there.

By the time night had fallen, he had wandered around half of central London, and received more than a few odd looks.

He knows he looked strange in clothing that was too large, and several months out of date, but he didn’t care. The other reason for the looks didn’t even occur to him.

He still thought it was a miracle Belle stayed with him as long as she did, and he knows it wasn’t because he was appealing or attractive.

How wrong he was.

But now?

Now he’s turning heads as he passes women.

He doesn’t notice.

He only stops for breath when he starts to feel pain in his abdomen.

Not from the running, or walking, but from hunger. He hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink in nearly a week. That’s a new record for him.

He took a look around where he had stopped, and spotted a chippy just a block away. Only then did he smell the aroma, and hear his stomach roar.

“That’s new.”

He’s never neglected himself for so long.

He staggers into the building and orders the first thing on the menu.

***

Rose can’t believe it’s come to this. She has to resort to eating at a chippy to keep from going broke. She won’t go back to Steph. She’s much too proud for that. So she’s been slowly whittling away at her savings.

She got a new flat after the first two months of selling her old one, and the day she waited around that alleyway.

He never showed.

He probably never would.

But Rose told herself she should have known. He was some sort of alien, and probably got distracted by a more successful, prettier, younger blond somewhere.

Deep down she knows that’s not true, and it’s painful to think about how wrong she could be, but she doesn’t care.

She throws open the doors, rolling her eyes at the bell that rings, announcing her presence, and orders the cheapest thing on the menu. She’s not really that hungry, but she will be tomorrow if she doesn’t have something now.

There’s a long haired young bloke standing at the end of the receiving line, and if she’d not been exhausted beyond belief, she might have tried to chat him up.

When her name is called, and she goes forward to collect her food, the man suddenly perks up, and looks at her with a smile.

“Rose? That’s a lovely name, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Rose isn’t sure what this bloke was smoking last, but she’s been seen by former clients enough to roll with the punches,

“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me,” Rose elbows her way past the bloke, but his eyes widen and he gasps aloud.

“Rose! Of course! One syllable and just as beautiful. Rose, you go by Belle also do you not?”

Rose blinked twice, and smiled tightly,

“Sometimes yes. Will you please move?”

The man coughed, and nodded, quickly doing as she asked, but unfortunately kept following her to her table.

She sat down, facing away from him, and hoped he would get the unsubtle message.

He didn’t.

He took the seat opposite her, and began babbling eagerly.

She only caught a few words, but when he said something about time and space, she froze.

“What are you talking about?”

The bloke held his hand to his heart, drawing her attention to his worn black leather jacket, which looked hauntingly familiar,

“It’s me Rose. I’m the Doctor. I just regenerated. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to tell you about that, after all, why would I need to? But if something ever happens to me, a life threatening emergency, time lords, that’s technically what I am by the way, have this way to cheat death. Every cell in our bodies changes. So I have a different face. But I’m still me. And I remember you. That doesn’t always happen. Memories staying I mean. I’m so glad I found you. I thought I never would. I’d almost given up hope. But here you are!”

The Doctor, or so this crazy bloke claimed he was, moved to her side and took her hand from where it had been braced against the table, for she was ready to get the heck out of dodge.

“You’re lying. You just stole his jacket or something. You’re some crazy person who met him and now you think you can fool me into thinking you are him. I waited for him. For months. He never showed. He never called, never wrote. He just up and left me. Now please, go away. Leave me alone.”

Rose yanked her hand out of his grasp, and stood up, taking her tray over to a different table, and slamming it down on the surface with a loud crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> teeny-tiny, infinitesimal reference to "the Doctor's Wife", a deleted scene to be precise.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor stood still, gaping after her. Suddenly his hunger pains were a thing of the past.

He’d been lucky just once and had found his Belle. Wait, since when was she _his_ anything?

No matter.

He’d found her. Her real name was Rose. Such a perfect name. He wished he’d thought to have flowers to give to her, and now he was almost glad he didn’t. Perhaps she would have thrown them in his face. As it was, he found himself grateful she hadn’t hit him at all.

He deserved it.

She was absolutely right. He’d left her alone.

Although…he hadn’t promised he’d come find her. That had been her suggestion.

_‘And you took it.’_

It was as if the TARDIS was chiding him. He knew she was right too.

He walked slowly over to Rose, hands held out in a gesture of surrender.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I would ask you to give me a second chance. Let me prove it. I have the TARDIS nearby, would you come with me when you’ve finished eating?”

Rose glared at him through narrowed eyes, and looked as if she might say no, but then she finally blinked, and nodded very slowly.

The Doctor smiled weakly,

“Thank you. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Yeah well if you try anything crazy don’t think I can’t break you in half. Look at you, a stiff breeze would blow you away. Why don’t you go get your food before you faint dead away?”

Rose’s face still looked stern but her voice had taken that recognizable teasing lilt, the one his last incarnation might have been indignantly annoyed at, but secretly loved.

Loved?

Things were rapidly growing out of his control. Just seeing her again had made him feel light as air, and even though she wasn’t as pleased to see him, he still got an electric feeling when she looked at him.

He forgot all of the horrible things he’d done, the instant her eyes locked with his.

“You’re probably right. I’m utterly unpredictable like this.” She wrinkled her brows together, and he hastened to clarify, “Hungry.”

***

They sat together for a few quiet moments, enjoying their food in companionable silence. But when Rose pushed her tray away and moved to stand, the Doctor was quick to follow.

“I’ll let you go first, so I can keep an eye on you.”

She snapped at him the second they’d left the chippy, and he couldn’t really blame her.

“Of course.”

He walked at a decent clip, energy returned to him for the most part since consuming a decent meal, and Rose found herself hustling to keep up.

When they were a couple blocks away from the chippy, Rose spoke up,

“I thought you said it was parked nearby…”

The Doctor turned to her with a slight grimace,

“Technically yes. I did do a fair bit of walking around trying to find you first, then I found the café.”

Rose huffed in irritation but continued to follow him.

The further they walked and the darker it grew, the more Rose started to think this had been a terrible idea.

“How much longer?”

She nearly shouted, and the Doctor practically jumped a foot in the air,

“We’re almost there I promise. When we do get there, you’re welcome to hit me if you’d like. Just trust me, please.”

He didn’t see it, but Rose’s eyes flashed dangerously, and she would have most certainly slapped him for that if she hadn’t turned the next corner and spotted the memorable blue box.

She stopped in her tracks and openly gasped.

“Oh my god.”

The Doctor leaned against the front doors and tried to fight the urge to grin.

“I told you.”

Rose groaned in frustration, and moved towards him, arms outstretched.

He winced away, and tried to shrink into the wood, but when she finally made contact with him it wasn’t to harm.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace.

“I’m sorry Doctor. I should have listened to you.”

He relaxed instantly under her touch, and returned the embrace, his arms weaving around her waist and one hand finding the back of her head, fingers slipping into her blond waves and holding her close.

“It’s alright. I’m here now. Everything will be alright.”

Rose was shaking against him, and he realized she was crying.

“I thought you’d left. I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

The Doctor shushed her gently, and stroked her hair,

“I wouldn’t do that. I was gone so long because I had to answer a distress call. It was because of that I had to change. I was near death, and I couldn’t even say goodbye to you with my old daft face.”

Rose sniffled, and gave a choked sob that almost sounded like a laugh,

“I liked that face. Big ears and all.”

The Doctor grinned at her,

“That’s extremely kind of you. I’m sure with your profession, you saw all sorts.”

Rose hiccupped, and nodded.

“Yep. But I gave that all up to travel with you.”

She looked up at him, big brown eyes wide and full of tears threatening to spill out, and he was struck with an incredible sense of déjà vu.

Except now she didn’t have dangerously smoldering eyes, she merely wore a touch of makeup, and her hair was soft, not held back and up with lots of product.

He’d not really noticed until now, but even her clothing was simpler. She wore jeans and comfy white trainers, with a white tank top underneath a bright pink hoodie.

She couldn’t have been more beautiful to him.

“Oh Rose, I don’t know what to say.”

He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, brushing away the tears that finally fell, and she shrugged,

“Maybe you could invite me in?”

The Doctor laughed, and stepped back from her, not letting go of her hand.

“Of course, please, come in.”

The doors to the TARDIS opened inward, and they both entered.

Rose was secretly pleased that nothing had changed about the ship, even if the Doctor’s entire appearance had.

She didn’t know how much the two were connected, but it was very comforting to know that the home she’d had for a few days still looked the same.

“Fancy a swim?”

The Doctor looked alarmed, but only for a brief instant,

“Sounds lovely.”

His voice was a squeak, and Rose laughed.

“You don’t have to look so shocked. I planned to go to the beach, but unfortunately since you were so late, I almost ran out of money. So take me to the pool Doctor.”

The Doctor coughed,

“Shouldn’t we stop by your place? Pick up your things?”

Rose waved a hand around the air, as if swatting away an insect,

“Nope. I don’t need anything. Everything I could ever want is here.”

Those brown eyes captured his, and they were only a couple shades lighter than his own new eyes, but oh so enchanting.

“Is that right?”

“Absolutely.”

Rose was now only inches away from him, and her hand was still entwined in his.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

The Doctor’s face was now bare centimeters from Rose’s, and he whispered the words, but she heard him easily,

“I could say the same about you. Now, are you going to kiss me?”

The Doctor blinked rapidly, and he could hear his heartbeats accelerating inside his chest, but no words formed in his throat.

So Rose leaned forward and stood on her tiptoes, and closed the distance between them.

When their lips met, the Doctor could have swore he saw fireworks, but that could have simply been the TARDIS expressing her joy at the occasion.

Rose’s eyes had fallen shut, so the Doctor did the only thing he could, and brought both hands up to cup her face, holding her closer, and deepening the kiss.

His own eyes closed the moment he felt her sigh into his mouth.

She relaxed under his hands, and when they finally parted, she was grinning.

“You don’t know how long I waited for that.”

The Doctor shrugged,

“I can imagine.”

Rose laughed at him, and nudged his shoulder,

“You think you’re so impressive.”

The Doctor looked her over, and beamed at her,

“I am so impressive. You look thoroughly kissed. Now did you still want a swim? Or was that just you stalling?”

Rose gasped in mock outrage, and then walked a few steps away,

“I’ll have you know I never use stalling techniques…unless it’s an emergency.”

The Doctor looked a bit lost, until Rose lifted a brow at him, and he pointed to himself, slowly getting the picture,

“Oh! I’m an emergency?”

Rose smirked, before beckoning him with a finger,

“Come on then. Pool, you, me, now.”

The Doctor followed after her, not bothering to hide how giddy she made him feel.

He had months to make up to her, and he would gladly do whatever she asked.

Except time paradoxes. Or crossing parallel worlds.

Those were impossible.

Then again, she was quite impossible herself. Maybe he had a few things left to learn. But finally he knew one thing, he wasn’t beyond love.

His hearts beat as one for her.

***

**END**


End file.
